The Lift-Gourse as told by: John Vincent Prater
This is the seldom told story of the fabled Lift-Gourse and
the Farmer.This story is one of moral
and of consequence, a story of greed and ingratitude.A story told many times, for many generations
across the lands, but as mentioned above; this story is hardly ever told to
this new generation of Young’ns. At the finish of the story; some may sit in
wonder, others may ponder upon when they had first heard this tale and a few
will simply smile and nod.
And So We Begin; Once upon a time; in a land not so far
away, or a time not so long ago, there lived a Farmer and his Wife.The two had no children, no pets, no TV (has
it had not yet been invented) and no radio.What they did have was more than five thousand acres of land, five
hundred head of cattle, fifty chickens, five goats, a mule and a horse.The Farmer and his Wife worked their massive
Farm, from sunup to sundown, month after month, season after season, year after
year.However, one day…

This is a story told to me by my Grandpa Vincent Prater , when I was a kid. He lived for many years up South Fork Road (Hwy 1098) in Breathitt County. The photo on the left is that property.

The story goes like this; My Grandma used to bake pies and put them in the open kitchen window to cool. But she would always have to make an extra one for a Big Ole Black Bear that lived up the holler. The Bear would smell the pies, come down out of the holler, grab one of the pies and run up a giant pine tree next to the house. He would sit there high up in the tree and enjoy his pie.

Finally, Grandpa decided he'd fix that Bear. So one day he went out into the yard and cut down that big pine tree. The next week Grandma made her pies and set them in the window to cool. This time Grandpa was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for the Bear. He didn't have to wait very long before he saw the Bear making his way toward the house. Just like every other time, the Bear lumbered up to the windo…

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Matthew 6:26-27 (NKJV)